Europees ICT-beleid besproken tijdens evenement ICT2013 (en)

This week, Vilnius will become the first Eastern European capital to organize the largest information and communications technology (ICT) event in Europe - ICT2013. On Wednesday, 6 November, ICT2013: Create, Connect, Grow, which will last for 3 days, will begin. About 5,000 global participants will come to the Lithuanian Exhibition and Congress Centre, LITEXPO.

During this event, Europe's best ICT scientists, representatives of experienced and new companies, and strategists of the digital technology sector will discuss the issues of the European ICT policy.

ICT2013 will be opened by Dalia Grybauskaitė i, the President of the Republic of Lithuania. She will welcome the participants and open Lithuania's pavilion, where our best inventors and their creations will be presented.

Neelie Kroes i, Vice-President of the European Commission, who is responsible for the Digital Agenda, will open the ICT2013 conference, in which scientists, academics, and specialists will cover the matters of innovation and research.

ICT2013 consists of 4 main parts: an international conference, an exhibition, meetings to establish connections, and an investor forum.

The conference is dedicated to the present and future representatives of the ICT sector and the participants of research and development and innovation programmes. During the conference, the issues of the European ICT policy will be discussed, insights and future visions will be shared, and connections for cooperation in ICT business, research, and innovation will be sought.

During the ICT2013 conference, an international exhibition will take place at LITEXPO. 160 organizations are expected to participate in it. They were invited to present the latest products of advanced research, technology, systems, services, and business, which aren't available on the market yet. Lithuania will present its top ICT projects in a separate area of the exhibition called the Lithuanian Village.

During all 3 forum’s days, sessions for new companies introducing themselves to possible investors and training for the companies that are already working or planning to start a business in the field of ICT will take place. Discussions about the direction of the ICT market and investment, focusing on the situation in Central Europe, will also be held. Companies will find out how to attract risk capital investors into the ICT business, and private informal investors (business angels) and corporate investors will share their experience.

On 7 November, Mrs Kroes will participate in the signing of the National Coalition for Digital Skills and Employment Promotion in Lithuania memorandum. 11 Lithuanian institutions will obligate to cooperate when organizing the documents of information society expansion, initiatives, and projects which demonstrate the benefits of IT and promote citizens to use IT services. The Coalition’s partners will invite other businesses, educational, public administration, non-governmental, and social companies, institutions, and organizations with similar goals to join in.

Thus ICT2013 will be not only the largest ICT event in Europe, but also an exceptional event of the Lithuanian Presidency i of the EU Council, which will urge Lithuania and the EU to give proper attention to the initiatives which aim at creating single knowledge, research, and innovation market and invite politicians and ICT innovators to have a discussion.